Image transferring devices have been available to facilitate the tracing of an image by reflecting the image onto a drawing surface. In known devices, an image support card and an image-producing card are positioned at a selected angle with respect to each other to optimize the reflection of the image from the image support card onto the image-producing card.
Several types of support mechanism have been suggested for positioning the image support card at the selected angle with respect to the image-producing card. In one known device, a double-clip member is used having a fixed angle between a first clip and a second clip. The first clip is adapted to hold the image support card and the second clip is adapted to hold the image-producing card. To adjust the angle between the image support card and the image-producing card, an adjustment wedge is inserted between the first and second clips. The adjustment wedge has means for adjusting the position of the wedge against the clips, such that the angle between the first and second clips can be increased or decreased as desired.
A disadvantage of the known double clip construction is that the image support card and the image-producing card protrude a substantial distance from the base plate. When the device is stowed away during non-use, the image support card and image-producing card must be removed from the clips as a practical matter. When the transferring device is used once again, the image support card and image-producing cards must again be attached to the clips. It would be desirable to provide a mechanism that holds the image-producing card and image support card in position, and yet is not so bulky as to require removal of the cards each time the device is stored.
In another known device, a hinged arrangement provides a plurality of floating knuckles for holding the cards with respect to each other when the transferring device is not in use. The floating knuckles have corresponding convex and concave portions that engage each other to position the cards at various selected angles. The convex and concave portions are preferably biased toward each other by a coil spring. A disadvantage of the known device is that the hinge mechanism is complex and requires several additional components which complicates manufacture of the device, and thus adds to its cost. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a device having a simple design, with less components, that is easy to manufacture.
Another disadvantage of known image transferring devices is that the image support card and image-producing card must be manually positioned at the appropriate angle to optimize the reflective feature of the device. Thus, the user must manipulate the cards until the optimal reflective angle is found. It would be desirable to provide a device that automatically positions the image-producing card and the image support card at the optimal reflective angle with respect to each other.